The number of tourists traveling overseas hit a January record, thanks to a strong won, travel portal Tourgo said Tuesday.

The state-run online database engine revealed that the number of tourists headed abroad totaled slightly more than 1.4 million, a 21.8 percent increase from the previous month.

(Graphic by Nam Kyung-don/그래픽-코리아헤럴드 남경돈)

In particular, about 50 percent more prospective travelers are visiting travel agencies, searching for tour packages to Japan, hoping for more economical deals thanks to the strength of the won against the yen, travel agency officials said.

Also in January, the strong won led to a 9 percent drop in the number of foreign visitors. The nation greeted about 40 percent less Japanese travelers compared to the previous month.

By Chung Joo-won
(joowonc@heraldcorp.com)